


Situation

by kcxtreme



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ancient Ritual Made Them Do It, Disabled Character, Incest, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:53:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23769565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kcxtreme/pseuds/kcxtreme
Summary: They were trapped in a temple and vexed with one another, and the only way to freedom was to offer themselves through a "union."
Relationships: Ares/Hephaestus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 111





	Situation

Hephaestus wondered if this was divine punishment.

He thought about it for a good while and it was the only conclusion he could come up with. Whoever decided to place him in this position knew what they were doing, because this was the equivalent of Tartarus for him.

"Fucking open!"

Hephaestus sighed as Ares charged at the same doors for the nth time with still no result. He ignored him and continued studying the inscriptions on the wall, hoping that it would give him an idea on how to get out of this place—and get as far away as possible from that brute.

They were trapped in a large, enclosed room of an underground temple; torches on the walls illuminated their bare surroundings, which consisted a stone table situated in the middle, a few skeletal remains at one corner—which no doubt were one of the first missing humans—and a set of doors which was their only possible way out of there, if they could find a way to open it.

And why were they there in the first place? Well, they could only blame Zeus for the predicament they're in.

It all began when news of the sudden, strange disappearances of humans in a hidden temple had reached the Olympian council. Usually, this was not a concern for the gods, but when the vanishings continued and they had learned that the cause was under their domain, that was when they needed to intervene.

Based on the reports they had gathered, the victims would stumble upon the temple and enter it, not knowing they had lured themselves right into its trap. Their council had come to a decision that an investigation must take place, and Zeus had decided to choose Ares and Hephaestus to investigate the site. Ares had objected, of course, saying that he didn't want to be stuck with the blacksmith—to which the latter had shared his sentiments. Unfortunately, the king wasn't having their grievances with their arrangement and had given them an ultimatum for their findings.

So earlier today, they had found themselves walking—and bickering—along the dimly-lit hallway of the vast temple. They had been searching for any signs of the missing humans when the floor beneath them suddenly opened and had sent them tumbling down into the large room where they're currently trapped in.

When they had realized the predicament they're in, Ares had begun blaming Hephaestus, to which the latter had countered, ensuing another bickering session. After a while the blacksmith had decided it wasn't worth it and searched for another way out. He had noticed one wall was filled with unfamiliar writings and that was when he started to investigate it—well, he tried to do so with all the noise the brute was making.

"Heph! Stop staring at that damn wall and do something about these doors!"

Clicking his tongue, the said god looked at him and replied, "I am doing something." He then returned to the inscriptions. "Just try to keep it down over there."

The blacksmith heard him cursing, not caring if it was aimed at him. He had tried to open those doors earlier with no luck; neither his tricks nor tools could pry them apart. But besides that, there was something keeping those doors closed, and at the same time the temple was suppressing any form of magic.

They had learned earlier that they couldn't use their powers to their full potential; they couldn't even transform back to their original forms and were currently stuck in their human forms. Hephaestus had even tried to contact the gods in any way possible but with no luck. Now they were stuck here until the others find them, or the two of them find a way out—or most likely he.

If only Hephaestus had listened to his senses the moment they stepped inside the temple. The place felt rather suffocating but he had completely ignored it as they further went in, thinking it was just the atmosphere of the dim hallway making him feel that way.

He thought about it and could only conclude that this place was heavily enchanted. But it wasn't just any simple enchantment, especially with the effects it was having on them: this was old, powerful magic, and he wondered if even the older gods could touch it.

Either way, there was no point in wasting his time thinking of such things, especially now that he was making progress with the scriptures on the wall. It was fortunate that he still had the ability to decipher the writings, and from what he understood so far it was saying something about a ritual being done on an altar, and when completed a way out would be shown to them.

Hephaestus turned his attention towards the middle of the room where what he thought was just a stone table could actually be the altar indicated in the inscriptions. He went towards it and examined the structure, noticing that it indeed looked like an altar used in ancient times.

His fingers smoothed the flat surface and he was surprised to find it wasn't covered in dust, as if it was just recently cleaned and polished—as if it was being preserved for an upcoming ritual. He jerked his hand away, not liking the thought, before wondering what kind of ritual they needed to do. He suddenly had a bad feeling and quickly returned to the wall where he began to scan the writings.

He looked for a certain passage that would hopefully reveal what the ritual was, while at the same time hoping it could be done with just he and Ares and their limited resources. It didn't take him long and found it, though as each word he read, that bad feeling became an unpleasant one as he learned what needed to be done.

It stated that intruders of this temple must give an offering. The offering were the trespassers themselves—or at least two of them—by doing a ritual on the altar through a union, and through this union their "sins" would be absolved and they would be given a chance to walk free from here.

The said union was through intercourse, and Hephaestus didn't even need to wonder to what degree of intimacy the trespassers needed to perform; the writings clearly stated that the participating individuals needed to do it all the way.

He reread the passage again as if it didn't make sense, until he couldn't deny the implications any longer that he and Ares were intruders here, and if what the inscriptions indicating were true, then the only way they could get out of here was by having intercourse.

He and Ares needed to have sex on the altar.

The thought alone made him want to choose death over his freedom. Gods, he wouldn't let that brute touch him!

What kind of sick, perverted people decided that the only way intruders could free themselves was to have them do each other?

Chaos, he felt sick at the thought of that brute just touching him like that. If it were any other god he could still do it, but with Ares? They hated each other's guts! If they couldn't even stand each other's presence for a second, then they definitely couldn't do it!

Hephaestus shuddered in revulsion and wondered what had he done in his immortal life for him to be placed into this mess. He took a deep breath before gathering his thoughts. As much as he wanted to give up, he needed to get his act together and assess the situation.

He focused his attention on the wall again and weighed his options: they'd been stuck here for hours now, so what's a few more days? Surely the other gods would have found them by that time, but could the two of them even stand each other for that long?

Food and water weren't their concern, it was only each other's presence. It wouldn't be long before they'd argue again which would no doubt lead to a fight, and that wouldn't be the best scenario in the position they're in.

His gaze went towards the remains at the corner of the room. Judging by the skulls, he wondered how many poor souls had been trapped here. Had they wandered here alone with no hope of ever seeing the light? What about those with company but had never found out that there was still a way to free themselves?

He only hoped that their souls had found peace and weren't lost or wandering the halls of this dreadful place.

"Heph!"

The blacksmith was jolted from his thoughts and staggered back when he was startled to see Ares inches away from him. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't hear the usual noisy god approached him. Then suddenly, an image of a certain pair of hands touching him—caressing him—made him turn his head away, and he asked rather irritably, "What?"

"That fucking door won't budge!"

"You only realized that now," he muttered, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes.

"At least I'm doin' something here, unlike you who's been gawking at the wall!"

The mention of the wall brought up another unwanted thought: an image of himself sprawled naked on the cold, hard surface of the altar, while a pair of strong, rough hands gripping his thighs pulled them apart—by none other than the god in front of him.

Hephaestus quickly shook his head, dismissing the invasive thought while ignoring the sudden shiver he felt, which was far different from the first one and he didn't want to dwell on it.

"Hey, you know somethin'," Ares said accusingly, breaking his line of thought again. "Spit it out!"

The blacksmith did have the choice to hide this information from him, but he decided to tell it nonetheless since there was no point in keeping it to himself. It's not like he was thinking of doing it, and the other god would no doubt share his sentiments on the idea.

"There is a possible way out," he replied, still avoiding the other's gaze and directing his towards the damn object in the middle of the room. "That over there is a ceremonial altar; we need to offer this place something in exchange for our freedom."

"Like what?" Ares followed his gaze. "We sacrifice a virgin or somethin'?"

"No," he answered, though he was in favor of sacrificing him if that was the case. "The offering is done through a ritual—a union, to be exact. The union involves at least two people to have...to have intercourse," he explained, leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

He waited for his response, which he imagined would be a mocking laugh followed by a string of insults hurled towards him and the likes, though what he got was a different kind of outburst.

"So we're stuck here!" The older god exclaimed. "Who's gonna fuck on that altar!"

_Chaos, why does Ares have to be such a dumbass?_

"Ares, there's only us here," Hephaestus said in a matter of fact, finally looking at the god who was fuming seconds ago but was now looking at him suspiciously with a cocked eyebrow.

They both stared at one another, with the weight of his words hanging heavily in the air. He waited for Ares to break the silence since there was nothing more to say on his part, though he wished he hadn't said anything at all with the next thing that came out from that obnoxious mouth.

"You wanna fuck?"

If it were a different time and place, Hephaestus would've snorted at this ridiculous question, unfortunately this was a serious matter and he had to be the sane one, which he always was whenever it came with Ares.

"No, I don't." _Never in my immortal life, dumbass._ "I just said—"

"Well I ain't fucking you! First of all I don't fuck guys, and second, I don't fuck ugly guys!"

Hephaestus could only close his eyes and exhale in irritation.

Chaos was really testing his patience today.

"And how do you even know it would work!"

"I do have doubts on it," the blacksmith replied as he composed himself. "But it's the only thing the writings have stated on how to possibly get out of here." Before that mouth could produce another sound, he cut him off, "Look, I only answered you and I don't intend in recreating the ritual."

"Then how are we gonna get out of here?" Ares asked impatiently.

"We'll have to wait until the others find us. It might take days—"

"Days? I don't want to be stuck here for days—especially with you!"

"I'm glad we can agree on one thing, but there's nothing more I can do."

Hephaestus didn't want to hear any more of his whining and left him, heading towards to one of the corners of the room, distancing himself from the other god as much as possible. There he sat down to take a break from all this, and began checking his left prosthetic leg to see if it was still fine from their tumble earlier.

He heard Ares cursing before hearing him uselessly charged at those doors again. He decided to ignore him until some time later the noise stopped, and he looked up to see the latter flopping down at the other side of the room, punching the ground in frustration.

He was thankful that he could have some peace and quiet for the time being. It seemed that the older god decided to settle down and follow his plan to wait for the others to find them; but not a day passed, not even an hour, when he found himself suddenly being hauled to his feet and was dragged by Ares towards the ceremonial altar.

"What are you doing!" cried Hephaestus as he tried to detach his arm from Ares's tight grip. "Let me go!"

"I ain't staying here any longer." The god shoved him towards the altar, where the blacksmith luckily caught the edge to steady himself. "If I have to fuck you to get out of here, then I will!"

"Are you out of your mind?" Hephaestus stood up straight to face him and returned his glare. "Didn't you understand what I told you before? And you said it yourself, we aren't sure it would wo—"

"Work or not at least we tried!" Ares interjected. "My only problem here is the first guy I'd be fucking is you of all people."

And the first guy to fuck him would be him of all people, and that too was a problem. He tried to think of a way to change his mind or at least delay this inevitable plan. "We could at least wait for a day—"

"No, we do it now!"

Hephaestus knew the stubborn god had set his mind on it and began weighing their chances of getting rescued within the next few days. Unfortunately, knowing the other gods, there was a higher chance of them realizing they hadn't returned only after weeks had gone by.

And a day with Ares was enough for him to suck it up and do this damn ritual.

He exhaled in defeat before gritting his teeth and muttering, "Fine."

"Hey, I don't like this either so stop sulking. This just better work or I fucked you for nothin'...Then again," That scowl turned into a smirk. "Maybe you're making this shit up and really just want me to fuck you?"

"Shut it before I change my mind," he replied with a tone of warning.

Ares was beginning to like seeing him pissed but didn't push it. Instead, he crossed his arms and asked, "So how are we gonna do it? You give me blowjob or—"

"N-no!" Hephaestus sputtered. Having Ares do him was one thing but he drew the line in giving him head. "We just need to have—" He looked away and regretted when he unintentionally swallowed. "Have sex. That's all."

"Well what are you waiting for? Bend over!"

He tried to keep his irritation in check since this was not a good way to start the ritual—or set the mood. "Give me a minute." He unslung his sling bag from his shoulder and placed it on the stone relic. "I need to prepare first."

"Prepare what? I just need to shove my dick in you!"

The blacksmith couldn't believe he was really going to do this with Ares—the bane of his entire existence. This stupid ritual better work or he swore he'd burn this temple to the ground—especially along with Ares.

He pulled out his healing oil which would unfortunately be put to waste with what he was going to use it for. He knew the activity in theory when it came to males doing it; he just needed to prepare himself to make things easier especially on his part, since he had no choice but to be on the receiving end.

Placing the small bottle on the altar, his hands began unbuttoning his pants when they suddenly froze as he realized Ares was still there.

For a moment, he almost forgot about him when he completely went silent. He could feel those eyes watching him intently, and that made him almost shiver if he hadn't stopped himself. He then turned to him and said, "I'm going to prepare myself. I need you to turn around and—"

"I'm gonna watch."

He stared at him as if he heard wrong. "What? No! I just need to—"

"I'm gonna watch so shut it and do it," the older god interjected, and his stance showed he wasn't going to move an inch from his spot.

Hephaestus couldn't believe this: he was going to have sex with the brute, but before that he had to watch him prepare himself?

"Why?" he asked incredulously. "I don't see the point of you watching me."

"And I don't see the point of not watching either since I'll still be here!"

Instead of talking back which would definitely lead them to arguing and getting nowhere, he gritted his teeth and turned around to face the altar. He wasn't going to let himself be intimidated, so if Ares wanted to watch then so be it.

He began taking his shoes and socks off, before unbuttoning his pants and discarding them along with his boxers, leaving his rear bare for the other to see. He didn't let the thought linger and just grabbed the oil, poured himself a good amount on his right palm, and lathered it on his fingers. He then leaned on the table, ignoring the fact that he's showing his backside more to his unwanted spectator.

Taking a deep breath, he reached behind and began prodding himself. He managed to get two fingers in, wanting to add a third but couldn't, so he just continued pushing them until they're fully inside. He then slowly started pulling them out before pushing them back in again; he did this continuously while making scissor motions to loosen himself up—for _him_ —while gritting his teeth to make as little noise as possible.

It felt weird at first, having his own digits move inside him, but after a few thrusts he felt that familiar feeling of pleasure making its way down towards his untouched shaft. He remembered it had been years since he engaged in any sexual activity. Even before he and Aphrodite separated, he hadn't bothered to find any pleasure even from himself, so all of this was somewhat foreign yet familiar to him.

He felt himself slowly hardening until he was fully erect; precum was forming on the tip until it dripped on the ground, soiling the already dirt-ridden floor beneath him. For a moment, he was dazed by the sensation he had deprived himself of for a very, _very_ long time that his self-control slipped, and he let out a moan that was surely heard throughout the four corners of the room, especially with how silent his surrounding and spectator—

The blacksmith's whole body froze when he again realized Ares was quiet—too quiet. He didn't dare look back, not wanting to meet those eyes he knew were still focused on him. He knew he was giving Ares a show and should be disgusted by it—wanted to feel disgusted by it—but the thought alone was starting to slowly turn him on.

"Why did you stop?"

Hephaestus was startled from the sudden closeness of Ares's voice, before realizing he was right behind him. He had been too deep into his thoughts that he didn't hear him move and was now looming over him, sensing he was giving him that smirk of his.

"I said, why did you stop, Heph?" the older god asked again, this time in a slightly lower tone.

He knew that smirk widened when he failed to suppress that shiver that passed through him, which was caused by that hot breath near his right ear.

"Weren't you enjoying yourself seconds ago?"

He gritted his teeth, trying not to be aroused by the change of tone in his voice, or the image of the owner looming over his half-naked body while he was in a tempting position that looked like he was "inviting" him so. It didn't help either with his throbbing shaft and his digits still inside him.

"Put the other one in," Ares told him. "You know two won't be enough."

"I can't," Hephaestus replied rather weakly too his liking. "...It's too tight."

"If you can't put it then I can't fit in, right?"

The blacksmith hated to admit it but he was right. He didn't need to know how big the brute was down there, and even if he wanted to deny his size, Aphrodite herself had bragged he had a "godhood." He knew it was going to hurt if he didn't loosen himself more.

Closing his eyes and taking another deep breath, he forced his third finger inside until it was all the way in. There was a numbing pain but he knew the next one would be more intense if he didn't finish preparing himself, so he began another round of pulling-pushing-scissoring his now three-digit inside him.

"That's right, open yourself wider. I ain't fittin' in that," Ares's smirk widened. "Unless you want to be hurt."

He wanted badly to hit that mouth to shut it, but the building pleasurable sensation was starting to distract him. Another moan escaped his lips and he bit his bottom lip as his last resort to try and shut himself up.

The older god chuckled behind him and said near his ear, "You're liking this, huh Heph? Like it when I watch you fuck yourself? So you can prepare yourself for my thick cock?"

He whimpered—for Chaos's sake he whimpered like a dog in heat! This brute was talking dirty to him and that traitorous part of him was liking it!

Then again, was it just a small part of him? He was still letting him watch him screw himself and he was undeniably liking it. He was liking Ares watching him and he was ashamed and disgusted, but the feeling was just too good to stop.

Still, his remaining pride wouldn't just let him accept it, so he countered between panting breaths, "Y-you're the one—ahh—enjoying this...I'm doing—ngh—for the ritual." Finally, he turned his head to glare at him over his shoulder. "To get away from you!"

"Is that what you think?" Ares then barked out a laugh, before giving him a wicked grin. "Then how 'bout I change your mind!"

Grabbing his busy hand, Ares pulled his fingers out of him, making him whimper from the sudden loss. He didn't have time to react when he was pulled up from his position before being hoisted and sat down on the altar. He was now facing the brute who was shoving his pants down before bringing out his own fully-erected manhood—and sweet Chaos, Aphrodite hadn't been bragging, alright.

Hephaestus was startled when the older god suddenly grabbed both the underside of his knees and began lifting them up. He quickly realized what the other was about to do, so he stopped him and cried out, "W-wait! The oil!" He grabbed the healing oil beside him and held it out towards him. "Use it."

Ares glared at the item. "What? You're already slick from fucking your—"

"Just use it!"

He growled in annoyance as he dropped the blacksmith's legs and snatched the bottle from him. He poured the remaining content on his palm before throwing it behind him, which hit the floor and shattered into pieces. He then used his oiled palm to lather his erection in one stroke before grabbing the other's legs again.

Hephaestus knew there was no turning back and let his legs be lifted and spread before him. He could visualize what the other god was seeing right now: his face was slightly flushed, sweat was dripping down along his exposed neck, and his legs spread wide open with a hardened, leaking shaft in between. He looked like he was offering himself to Ares as if he was a sacrificial lamb, and he knew deep down he was.

He couldn't help but shiver at the thought and blamed it all in his lust-filled, dazed state. He just really hoped this stupid ritual would work because as the other god had stated, he'd be fucked for nothing.

He managed to plant his feet on the edge of the altar when Ares let go of his metallic leg, and with his free hand, the latter grabbed his own throbbing shaft to begin prodding his lower hole.

His eyes shut when he felt him slowly entering, his inner walls feeling that first inch of thick, hot flesh, making his body tremble with excitement. But then in one swift motion, the brute buried himself to the hilt and Hephaestus's head snapped back, a cry escaping from his lips from the sudden wave of pain and pleasure coursing through him.

"Fuck Heph," Ares growled as his erection was engulfed by those tight, hot walls. "You're tight."

The blacksmith could only moan weakly in response as he felt full from the pulsing flesh inside him. He then felt it pulling out before being plunged back in which elicited another cry from him. He didn't have time to recover when the brute began thrusting again and again, with each motion increasing in speed, making him moan and cry louder until only his voice was heard throughout the room.

He felt his body shiver in delight with each hard thrust, especially when Ares hit that sweet spot hidden deep within him, making his back arch from the sudden intense pleasure he was experiencing. On one of those rare occasions, his body felt hot—burning almost—and he groaned at the feeling. His sweat sticking to his clothes wasn't helping either—he wanted to rip them off him!

He suddenly heard Ares barking out a laugh, and without stopping his movements, the latter said to him, "Look at you, moaning and crying like that; you look like a bitch in heat. Your hole's sucking my dick like it depends on it!"

"A-Ares," He began to speak in a weak, pleading voice, though he wasn't sure what he even wanted to ask for. "I—ahh~...I want—"

"What?" Ares intentionally stopped his thrusting and smirked when the blacksmith whimpered at the sudden loss of movement. "Want what? Want me to fuck you harder? Want me to make you cum till nothin's left within ya? Until you're fucking filled with mine?"

Hephaestus moaned at the thought of the other god filling him with his seed and nodded his head in shame, hating that he knew very well what he wanted—knew very well what he _needed_ —and hating that he let himself be reduced into such state.

Ares barked out another laugh and said, "I'll give you a good fucking you won't ever forget!"

The blacksmith let out a cry when the brute suddenly plunged into him again, continuing where they left. The latter then grabbed his erection and began stroking it in tune with his thrusting. His rough, strong hand squeezing and pumping his leaking manhood, while that pulsing flesh pounded his sensitive spot were enough to make him reach his climax.

He came hard while his whole body trembled, overwhelmed with the intense, raw pleasure coursing through him. His seed sprayed between him and the older god, making a mess on both their shirts; some have landed on the altar, soiling the stone relic that was once clean and untainted.

Ares growled at the delicious sight before him and continued pumping Hephaestus until the very last drop, before giving it all in his final thrust and unloading his own seed inside him, filling him to the brim like he said he would. His excess cum spilled out from the blacksmith's hole, trickling along his skin until it dripped on the altar, mixing with the latter's own cum.

Hephaestus, who lay down on the altar out of weariness, groaned weakly as he felt the other's seed inside him, feeling full but unexpectedly satisfied by it.

As they both tried to regain their breathing, unbeknownst to them, their mixed seeds plastered on the altar seeped into it. The inscriptions surrounding the stone relic began to glow momentarily until it faded, and then a sound of a stone moving could be heard nearby.

The blacksmith slightly bent his head back to see the doors upside down and noticed one of them was ajar. Closing his eyes, he exhaled slowly through his nose and could only think of one thing: _Thank Chaos, it worked._

Licking his dry lips, he began to speak in weak voice, "Ares, the doors..." It took him a moment before opening his eyes to see the said god eyeing him with interest instead of the open doors. He felt uncomfortable with that look and asked, "What?"

The older god smirked at him. "We're not done yet."

Before he could react, his arm was seized and he was yanked back to a sitting position. "W-what are you—"

"You heard me, Heph. We're not done yet." Ares's free hand grabbed the other's waist, which then slipped into the hem of his shirt until it found one of his brown peaks and gave it a squeeze, eliciting a sharp gasp from the god. "One round ain't ever enough with me."

Hephaestus tried to pry that hand away from him as he felt his body starting to react. "But the doors are already open!"

"Fuck those doors! I'm not done fucking ya, and besides," Ares gave that sensitive bud another pinch, and his lips turned into a wicked grin when its owner moaned in delight. "Your body wants it too."

The blacksmith was too tired to resist him and his traitorous body was reacting, and if he were to be honest, a small part of him wanted it too— _badly._

He didn't know how long they were in there, or how many times Ares took him; all he knew was that the brute was insatiable. When they were finally done, he was left drained on the altar with his legs splayed, and between them was the result of their intense session. He was almost left naked with only his unbuttoned shirt on, and he could still feel those bite marks left scattered all over his body.

Hephaestus heard the other god doing his pants and that was a sign he needed to get clothed too—and finally get off that damn altar. They were both silent as they got ready, especially Ares who had been talking dirty to him moments ago, as if someone turned off his usual cocky self. He, on the other hand, didn't say anything since there was nothing more to say with the ritual done— _overdone_ —and with the doors finally opened.

Their silence followed them as they went through those doors and avoided looking at each other until they returned to Olympus. When they arrived, they reported their findings to Zeus, leaving out a few details that the king didn't need to know.

With their mission accomplished, Hephaestus could only hope the other Olympians could find a way to break the curse permanently so there wouldn't be any more victims, like themselves.

Ares, on the other hand, seemed to be back to his usual self when he began complaining to his father, reiterating that he'd never take another mission with the blacksmith ever again—to which the latter silently concurred.

When they were dismissed, he and the older god separated ways without a single glance, and they avoided each other like a plague in the next coming weeks. At one point, Hephaestus thought it was all over, but he wasn't gullible; he knew what had happened between him and Ares in that temple cannot be ignored forever.

So when the time came Ares appeared in his forge one day, he wasn't surprised at the least. He wasn't surprised either to later find himself on his bed, sprawled naked with the brute on top of him, about to take him for the 4th—or was it 5th? 6th?—time.

And he wasn't surprised when it went on for the next few days, turning into weeks, then months, until he lost count in years.

In all entirety, Hephaestus wasn't surprised with how things turned out, and if he were to be honest, he didn't mind any of it at all.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are much appreciated.


End file.
